Dempster Diving

I'll be honest, I've never really been a fan of Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.

WHY?

1. He's from Canada.
2. He made me nervous whenever he pitched the 9th inning.
3. I don't funny, but this one serious comment put him in my semi-good graces.

I used to joke that the Cubs moved Dempster to the rotation so when he gave up a bunch of runs in his first inning of work, the Cubs would have an entire game to recover.

After two starts, it looks like the joke is on me

With that said, Ryan Dempster is slowly, but surely gaining praise from me. How about this line for good ol' #46 in tonight's game against the Pirates:

7 IP 1 H 0 R 5 K 2 BB (ND)

Yeah, it's against the Pirates, but I'm still a little excited. His ERA stands at 0.69, and I know it won't stay there all year, but wouldn't it be great if it did?

Lest we forget he was an All-Star for the Florida Marlins in 2000, when he went 14-10 with a 3.66 ERA.

And yes, I realize the irony of Kerry Wood blowing the save in a game where Dempster, the former closer, delivered a quality start.

I'd be happy if he went 12-12 with a 4.00 ERA. Give me some league average No. 5 starter numbers and I'd be happy.

Tonight's You Tube video comes to you courtesy of Taiwanese baseball:



Translation: Lou Piniella, you ain't got sh!t on me!